The boys basketball team on Friday won the program’s first playoff game in two decades, and junior Matt Schenk gave some of the credit to the student section, which poured out onto the court after the game.
“The fans were huge. There were so many and it was so loud and it was a great atmosphere,” Schenk said.
Baldwin defeated North Allegheny 55-49. The Highlanders now advance to play Mt. Lebanon at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Bethel Park.
Junior Nathan Wesling agreed that the fans played a key role.
“The fans brought energy throughout the entire game,” Wesling said. “It gave the team a confidence boost.”
Not only did the fans rush the court, but they also followed the team into the locker room.
“Coach (Jeff) Ackermann is the one who wanted the fans in the locker room after the win. He wants kids to be excited about big games like these,” senior Nathan Richards said.
Wesling liked the enthusiasm.
“Having the fans in the locker room was a great idea,” Wesling added. “It was a cool experience seeing everybody in there.”
Several Highlanders played key roles in the victory. Wesling in particular had a big game, putting up 19 points, Schenk said.
Sophomore Max Marzina agreed.
“Nate Wesling had a great game. He was hitting a lot of important shots to keep us in it,” Marzina said.
Getting the playoff win was huge, the players said.
“It means a lot because we’ve been working at it for years and now we’re finally able to do it,” Schenk said.
Marzina had similar thoughts.
“It feels good to break the curse of not winning a playoff game in 21 years. But we are not done yet,” Marzina said.
The team will now be advancing to play Mt. Lebanon away on Tuesday.
The Highlanders played Lebo twice during the regular season. They lost both games, the first by a large margin and the second being a close game.
“Lebo is always a tough team,” Wesling said. “But I have confidence that we can pull out a win.”
Marzina shares Wesling’s confidence.
“They look good, but we aren’t scared of them and we know we can beat them,” Marzina said.
